1. Product Description:- Fiber glass reinforced plastics are relatively a new group of man-made material used for construction and are essentially a combination of resinous polymers (thermosetting) with strengthening materials such as glass fibers, asbestos, etc. The combination is usually maintained by the impregnation processes. Woven clothes of fiber glass or non-woven mats are impregnated by reinforcing materials to a hard and infusible state under conditions ranging from room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The plastics are unique in nature. The products made from these plastics are light in weight, they contain high tensile strength corrosion restance chemically inert as well as high heat, electrical and sound insulation resistant. Road and railway tanker bodies, bulk cargo containers, refrigerated containers, car bodies, helicopter rotors, bath tubs, sinks, decorative translucence building panels and roofing sheets are some sheets are some specific products made from fiber glass reinforced plastics.
2. Market Potential:- In the context of the stage of development that the country has reached, fiber glass reinforced plastics could be used for making mainly bath tubs, sinks, building panels, roofing sheets and containers for water, oil and other liquid substances. During the last five years, local production water tanks (containers) have started and the volume of production has been growing with the expansion of the building industry. Today fiber glass reinforced plastic water rankers placed on top of small and large buildings in Addis Ababa and other major urban areas are common sight. Because of growing demand for these types of water tankers, a number of factories have been established in and around Addis Ababa. On the other hand, other products like bath tubs, sinks, panels roofing sheets, etc, made from fiber glass reinforced plastics are imported. These products are also related with the building industry. As this industry is rapidly expanding in almost all parts of the county, the demand for products to be made from fiber glass reinforced plastics will grow.
So far only water tanks used to supply water to buildings are made from fiber glass reinforced plastics; and this is of recent use. But water tanks made from the same material but of larger sizes can be used for saving and storing water for small scale irrigation. The use of such tanks will spread in the rural areas of the country as mall scale irrigation schemes are expanding at increasing rates. In the Amhara Region, the use of fiber glass reinforced plastics products is limited since there are no plants which produce these products in the Region. The water tanks produced in Addis Ababa are bulky and take a lot of vehicle space which make them expansive to transport long distances. As a result, these tanks are not used in the Region. However, the Amhara Region has its share of the national demand of products made from fiber glass reinforced plastics. The demand for these products in the building and irrigation sectors of the Region can justify the establishment of a fiber glass reinforced plastic products making plant.
3. Source of raw material:- The main inputs required are resins glass fiber, catalyst and accelerator colors. Like other chemical inputs, these inputs will also be imported.
4. Process and Technology:- Reinforced plastics are based either on thermosetting resins or on thermoplastic resins. Whereas thermo sets can be processed by a variety of moulding method, thermo plastics are almost invariably injection moulded. Various methods which are used for making reinforced plastics include centrifugal winding, hand lay up process, spray up moulding, cold matched tool moulding, bag moulding, high pressure moulding and filament winding. The essential requirement of a good moulding operation are (a) the resin must penetrate the entire mass of reinforcement and wet every fiber uniformly and (b) the selection of a suitable reinforcement, thickness and direction of lay-up.
Estimated Investment:- For a plant which will produce 20 tons of fiber glass reinforced plastics, per year, the estimated investment will be:-
Buildings/shades 600 m2 at Birr 2500/m2 = Birr 1,500,000
Plant and Machinery ……..................... = Birr 1,000,000
Working capital..................................... = Birr 800,000
Total = Birr 3,300,000
6. Benefits: Similar to other projects.
7. Location: Bahir Dar